Prevalence of allergic rhinitis among workers in an automotive leather seat company

Objective To study the prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) among workers in a company in Guangzhou where the automotive leather seats were made. Methods All workers (420 persons) and staff (716 persons) in this company received nasal examination and their related disease history were asked. Results The prevalence of AR was 20.5% with no difference between male and female (χ²=1.21,P>0.05). The variation was noted among different age groups and the elder (40-49 years old)had lower prevalence of allergic rhinitis. The workers had higher prevalence of allergic rhinitis (37.4%) than the that of staff(10.6%)(χ²=116.33,P<0.01). Conclusion The prevalence of AR was high among the workers in this automotive leather seats company in Guangzhou. We should pay more attention to these workers by improving the working condition in order to reduce the prevalence of AR.